Although he previously indicated that he wouldn’t take part in the 2012 Giro d’Italia, Andy Schleck now appears to be a little more open minded about the possibility of returning to the race where he made his Grand Tour debut. “I have been closely tied to the Giro since 2007. I will return there, but I do not know when,” he told La Gazetta dello Sport.
However he’s not ruling out doing it next May. “We have no specific program for the 2012 season yet. Everything is still possible.”
Schleck finished second overall in the 2007 edition of the race, the first and only time he took part. He’s ridden the Tour de France since then, netting twelfth in 2008 [he lost time due to hunger knock, then dedicated himself to helping his brother Frank and Carlos Sastre – ed.], then placing second in 2009, 2010 and again this year.
Schleck’s indecision is completely understandable. Finishing second three times in the Tour means that he’s determined to finally take the yellow jersey to Paris, but what makes 2012 difficult for him is the nature of the course. There’s just three summit finishes while the riders will face nearly 100 kilometres of time trials.
The Giro d’Italia route is far more suited to his climbing abilities, giving him a better chance of taking the overall victory. On the other hand, in recent years riders who have dug deep in the Giro have struggled in the Tour.
Last March he told l’Equipe that he believed riding the Italian race could affect his main rival Alberto Contador in July. “If Alberto really starts the Giro to win it, it is certainly not the ideal preparation for the Tour de France,” he told L’Equipe then. “Previously, you might win two races of that calibre in the same season, but today? That’s the question…”
Contador was below par in the Tour, placing fifth. However one difference is that the 2012 Giro is interpreted as much more ‘humane’ than previous editions of the race, with a course which is not as savage, and also transfers that are far shorter than the riders were subjected to in recent years.
Both those factors should reduce the overall demand, and mean that it’s more possible to ride well in both races. It’s still a gamble, though, and so Schleck and the RadioShack-Nissan team management will have to carefully think things out.
For a rider who has only one previous stage race victory, namely the 2004 Fleche du Sud, taking overall victory in Italy may be of greater value to his career plus his self-belief than another podium in the Tour.